To Participate on Thurstonblog

Monday, February 28, 2011

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Thanks to Cliff Mass I've discovered why there are so many cold-hearted comments made to stories published on the Olympian! It's due to the "Olympia Cold Anomaly"!
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whatsthestoryrory
As a state worker, I can attest to the ridiculous amounts of money some employees make. I would like to think that I am worth what I get paid since I work in the fraud portion and for lack of a better word, make criminals pay or else. I am NOT a fan of the union. I do not like being referred to as a collective. I am not a Borg. I am one person who does the best job possible and far exceeds the expectations set forth to me on a quarterly and monthly basis. On a personal level, I deserve what I make. On a business level, I make less than what I would make in a private sector (some of you think that is a weak argument, but not in this case. If I lived up north, then yes, I'd be working for a private sector company making more money. The southend is my home, the quality of life is too good to pass up, so I will stay with the state as long as possible). But I told the union to essentially kiss my ass about a month ago. I haven't been paying them for two pay periods now. I am in the process of having my dues go towards a charity (of course, the Union bullies you into their 5 choices of charity) I have my reasons which are of a deeply held religious belief. I recently had a colleague say to me, "you ought to be ashamed of yourself! The union fought for the wage you currently make." I say, 'great. but I've followed the unions money trail and I have found that my union supports public office candidates who are in no way supportive of my beliefs whatsoever.' She said, "well, you can at least join in on the conservative side of the union and voice my opinion." No thanks. I'll just practice my rights and give your union the finger and have my monies go to an organization that will at least help children in need rather than help support FAT UNION CATS.

spinnakr
How long have you worked for the state? I find it interesting that only now are your "deeply held religious beliefs" making you take a stand. From what you've said, I can only conclude that you were a hypocrite up until your last two pay periods.

Friday, February 25, 2011

This is another in an increasingly long list of actions to identify and condemn "others" in our society, suggesting that if the "others" would just go away, everything would be better. This tactic, of course, is merely intended to distract the public from the wholesale assault on the middle class that's occurring in Red States across the country.

In Tennessee, it's Muslims. In Arizona, it's immigrants. In Wisconsin, it's union members. And these are merely the tip of the iceberg.

.............................MSNBC’s O’Donnell Issues Sharp Critique of Glenn Beck Apology The obsession among MSNBC’s talk personalities with the ravings of their higher-rated rivals on Fox News Channel continued Thursday night with MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell picking apart FNC’s Glenn Beck – again. O’Donnell, the host of MSNBC’s 8 p.m./7c talk show “The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell” and a self-avowed Socialist, went on the warpath on the subject of an apology Beck issued on his syndicated radio show earlier on Thursday. Beck, who hosts “Glenn Beck” on FNC weekdays at 5 p.m./4c, was apologizing for statements he made a day earlier in which he accused Reform Jewish rabbis of engaging in political activism that was on par with the political extremism of “radical Islam.” Among those who protested what Beck said were the Anti-Defamation League, whose job it is to watch out for this kind of thing, and O’Donnell, who first discussed Beck’s statements Wednesday night on “The Last Word.” Well, that wasn’t the last word, as O’Donnell went back at it Thursday night in a segment in which he scolded and lectured Beck (complete with pointed finger) and, in the process, appeared to parse every sentence, phrase and word in Beck’s apology. (You can see the video of the O’Donnell segment here: http://www.mediaite.com/tv/lawrence-odonnell-tears-glenn-becks-apology-to-the-jewish-community-apart/) O’Donnell, who played short snippets of Beck’s apology and then commented on each of them, called Beck’s original statements “idiotic and untrue” –- which was not an inaccurate assessment. And Beck acknowledged the same thing in his radio apology. He admitted that he’d demonstrated “ignorance” about the differences between Orthodox and Reform rabbis and the extent of each group’s political activism and the relative strength of their Jewish faith. He said he realized the statements were a “nightmare” almost as soon as he uttered them. And he did apologize, invoking an excuse that is often used by radio personalities at such times -– the “I’m on the air for four hours every single day” excuse with which they try and explain how difficult it is to prevent a foot from occasionally being lodged in their mouths. That particular excuse generally strikes us as lame, though it does have some merit. O’Donnell slammed Beck for it, though, making analogies to other occupations requiring more than four hours of work a day in which such an excuse would not be acceptable -– such as an airline pilot who has to stay alert and error-free for, say, a six-hour flight. O’Donnell’s analogies struck us as “apples-to-oranges” and essentially irrelevant. And by the time O’Donnell was making them, this segment raking Glenn Beck over the coals had already gone on so long that you had to wonder if even O’Donnell’s most ardent followers had already decided to go elsewhere. O’Donnell set the tone at the outset of the segment when he declared of Beck: “Today, he has bent to the pressure of my criticism and apologized.” However, it’s doubtful, or at least unknowable, whether Beck, who has the kind of ratings a guy like O’Donnell can only dream about, cared one way or the other what O’Donnell thinks of him.
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WASHINGTON — A Georgia Republican said Friday he didn't immediately condemn a constituent who asked about assassinating President Barack Obama because he was stunned by the question and didn't want to dignify it with a response.

Rep. Paul Broun, a conservative who has harshly criticized the president, confirmed that at a town hall event in Oglethorpe County, Ga., on Tuesday a man asked, "Who's going to shoot Obama?"
After the exchange was reported by the Athens Banner-Herald, Broun issued a statement Friday calling the question "abhorrent."
"I deeply regret that this incident happened," Broun said in a statement. "I condemn all statements — made in sincerity or jest — that threaten or suggest the use of violence against the president of the United States or any other public official. Such rhetoric cannot and will not be tolerated."
His office refused to say whether it had audio or video footage of the exchange.
According to the newspaper's account, which was confirmed by Broun's office, the congressman didn't criticize the man for asking the question, instead deflecting it. He told the audience that he understood their frustration with Obama and reminded them that they would have the chance to help elect a new president next year.
Broun's office also said he later alerted the Secret Service.
Ed Donovan, a spokesman for the Secret Service, said the elderly man who made the comment was questioned and is not considered a threat.
"We consider it a closed matter," Donovan said.
Broun, a doctor from Athens in his third congressional term, routinely calls Obama a socialist and said shortly after Obama's election in 2008 that he feared the president would establish a Gestapo-like security force to impose a Marxist dictatorship.

Thursday, February 24, 2011

Palin Sent Letters to the Editor Using Other Names, Praising Herself
Bailey writes that Palin drafted her own letters to the editor during her run for governor and sent them in under supporters' names. Palin relayed the first one in an email to Bailey:
"Dear Editor,
It's been a pleasure watching our life-long Alaskan gal, Sarah Palin, campaign for governor these past six months. I am impressed with her leadership skills, experience, ethics, and energy. And I'm most impressed with how she communicates her message that is connecting with so many Alaskans. Sarah tells it like it is and is obviously not your typical politician. She doesn't just go with the flow or test the waters with political polls before taking action. It's clear Sarah is committed to just doing the right thing, even if her Republican Party bosses try to punish her for it," the letter reads in part.
Bailey alleges the letter was the first of many they wrote in supporters' names, to be sent to Alaska newspapers. Bailey writes "nothing struck me as wrong" with the faux letters, even though the campaign had become what he calls a "letter-manufacturing plant."

As we all know, many political campaigns do this, so Palin is nothing exceptional.....except......

Something about Olympia and abortion has prompted me to check up on the plight of the beleaguered pharmacists at Ralph’s Thriftway who only wanted to exercise their conscience and not be forced to sell “plan B” morning after pill- State (Queen Christine) backs down!!! http://www.lifenews.com/2010/07/09/state-5241S*****, apologies if it was posted back in July. I ignore most of the local news media and don’t expect them to report all the news anyway.

It's nice to know that the knuckledraggers still have a "mind" that Plan B is an abortive, regardless of the medical/pharma proof to the contrary.

You have to love the mentality that hates abortion but hates contraception more.

"LifeNews". Now there is a lamestream media.

By the way, a phone call confirmed what I thought. Ralph's Pharmacy is not opposed to filling boner medications.

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

On a prank call that quickly spread across the Internet, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker was duped into discussing his strategy to cripple public employee unions, promising never to give in and joking that he would use a baseball bat in his office to go after political opponents.

Walker believed the caller was a conservative billionaire named David Koch, but it was actually the editor of a liberal online newspaper. The two talked for at least 20 minutes — a conversation in which the governor described several potential ways to pressure Democrats to return to the Statehouse and revealed that his supporters had considered secretly planting people in pro-union protest crowds to stir up trouble.

The call, which surfaced Wednesday, also showed Walker's cozy relationship with two billionaire brothers who have poured millions of dollars into conservative political causes, including Walker's campaign last year.

[snipped]

On the call, the governor said he was ratcheting up the pressure on Senate Democrats to return to the Capitol a week after they fled to block the legislation. He said he supported a move to require them to come to the Capitol to pick up their paychecks rather than have the money deposited directly.

He also floated an idea to lure Democratic senators back to the Capitol for negotiations and then have the Senate quickly pass the bill while they are in talks.

[snipped]

Democrats seized on Walker's recorded comments as evidence that the governor plans to go beyond budget cuts to crushing unions.

[snipped]

On the call, Walker said he expected the anti-union movement to spread across the country and he had spoken with the governors of Ohio and Nevada. The man pretending to be Koch seemed to agree, telling Walker, "You're the first domino."

[snipped]

The remarks showed Walker's private relationship with David Koch. He and his brother, Charles, own Koch Industries Inc., which is the largest privately-owned company in America and has significant operations in Wisconsin.

[snipped]

[See original for details of links between Walker and Koch Industries]

Even before recordings of the call surfaced, the government watchdog group Common Cause in Wisconsin released a statement saying Walker's agenda matched with that of Koch Industries.

"Koch Industries and other corporate citizens have legitimate interests in Wisconsin, but their demonstrated willingness to push large amounts of money into state politics has given them a dangerously outsized voice," said Bob Edgar, the group's national president. That voice, he said, is "now demanding a return on its investments."
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King Chuck of The Chronicle fame appears to have linked a story about the Governor's harasser to a post in ThurstonBlog. I have to clarify that ThurstonBlog has no evidence to prove Chuck's apparent conclusion, but stands by its observation of the similarities of the harasser's message and old posts of IV.

"It's always a fun time as democracy plays its way out," said Fox Business network anchor Jeff Flock last week while covering the mass demonstrations against GOP Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker's proposed labor bill.A fun time, that is, unless you are a correspondent for Fox Business or its sister network, Fox News. In that scenario, you'll likely find yourself beset by heckling union protesters opposing Walker's planned curbs on their collective bargaining rights and pension and health care benefits. As Flock gave his report from the State Capitol building, he was drowned out by demonstrators who chanted "Fox Lies!" Behind him, protesters held up signs that read, "Party Foul" and "FOX, go report on sports."[snipped]And Fox News--the cable network long assailed by left-leaning critics as slanting its coverage unfairly to the right--came in for yet another disruption from chanting protestors over the holiday weekend. ...”[snipped]::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::Some of the comments:“Every Fox News watcher should watch the documentary, "Outfoxed." You owe it to yourself, family and friends to see how Americans are being lied to every day by Fox.Then, you might better understand why they are chanting for Fox to tell the truth.You can find it all over the net.”....................................“What? Tell the truth? There's no money in telling the truth.Vote Republican. Screw American workers.”....................................“What Exactly are conservatives conserving?Their brains. Never been used.”
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Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Back in the early 80's,, I was living in Blackpool, England. I met a lovely man named John Nathan-Turner. He was the producer of a little show known as "Doctor Who". He was the one that gave me my 'nick (unbeknownst to me at the time...)

Anywho, he introduced me to a lot of wonderful people who worked on the show (Tom Baker, Llala Ward...but I digress)

One of the people I met was a real character named Nicholas Courtney..He played the part of Brigadier Gordon Alistair Lethbridge-Stuart..

Editorial comment. In these times private, non-profit programs like Meals on Wheels literally become a matter of life and death. Here is a fun and effective way to fund this critical social service.

And now the official press release:

Senior Services for South Sound invites you to eat out and help local low-income seniors! Be a part of their annual FAT TUESDAY~FEAST FOR SENIORS, all day March 8th. Join other locals, who have a heart for seniors, by bringing a group out to eat that day. Why not have breakfast, lunch and dinner at one of the participating restaurants and help meet the goal of $8,000 raised.

All proceeds raised will benefit at-risk, low-income, and disabled seniors needing Meals-on-Wheels and other vital assistance from Senior Services for South Sound.

The Senior Nutrition Program is designed to ensure that vulnerable elderly individuals in Thurston and Mason County have adequate nutrition. Meals on Wheels programs reduce premature institutionalization due to poor health and the inability to perform daily tasks.

Here is the list of participating venues. When dining out, please let the venues know that you are there to support seniors and that you appreciate their participation. Also, restaurants have varying hours, please check for times of operation and make reservations for parties of four or more.

Radio host Rush Limbaugh poked fun at Michelle Obama's waistline Monday; the latest entry in a string of conservative attacks on the First Lady's anti-obesity campaign.[snipped]

The problem is -- and dare I say this -- it doesn't look like Michelle Obama follows her own nutritionary, dietary advice. And then we hear that she's out eating ribs at 1,500 calories a serving with 141 grams of fat per serving, yeah it does -- what do you mean, what do I mean?

What is it - no, I'm trying to say that our First Lady does not project the image of women that you might see on the cover of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, or of a woman [professional baseball player] Alex Rodriguez might date every six months or what have you. I mean, women are under constant pressure to look lithe, and Michelle My Belle is out there saying if you eat the roots and tree bark and the berries and all this cardboard stuff you will live longer, be healthier and you won't be obese. Okay, fine, show us.

[snipped]

This is the second time in a week the First Lady's weight was the butt of a conservative joke.

[snipped]

Limbaugh has long struggled with his own weight and has publicly discussed his dieting efforts.

...George Washington’s name is inseparable from America, and not only from the nation’s history. It identifies countless streets, buildings, mountains, bridges, monuments, cities — and people.

In a puzzling twist, most of these people are black. The 2000 U.S. Census counted 163,036 people with the surname Washington. Ninety percent of them were African-American, a far higher black percentage than for any other common name...

Now didn't I learn in elementary school social studies about slaves taking the master's surname.....????

Monday, February 21, 2011

"All Patrick [Rodgers] ... wanted was for someone from Wells Fargo to talk to him. ... he wanted someone to explain why they were doubling his premiums and requiring him to insure his century-old house for its full replacement value instead of the market value. Wells Fargo wanted him to take out almost a million dollars worth of insurance in the event his house, a 6-bedroom, 3 bath Tudor he paid $180,000 for in 2002, was reduced to rubble and needed to be rebuilt stone by stone to standards from over a hundred years ago. Though he's diligently paid his mortgage on time for the past seven years, he couldn't afford the jack-up in premiums, nor did he see a reason why he should have to accept them.

Besides the increase in premiums, Wells Fargo was also tossing extra and inexplicable fees on his account. For instance, they charged him for two home inspections in one month, even though no inspectors had come out to house. ..."

When Wells Fargo failed to answer Rodgers' questions as required by a law called the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA), he turned the tables on the bank and sued them. When they failed to appear at the court hearing, the judge ruled in his favor, levying a judgment against the bank. Wells Fargo eventually paid the judgment, but they never answered his original questions, triggering his right under RESPA to foreclose on it! Once the notices of a sheriff's sale were posted, Wells Fargo finally decided they needed to talk with him, and that's where things stand as of Friday, February 18th.

I don't read The Olympian much, anymore, but I took a glance and came across this post. What caught my attention to the LTE is that our new Congresswoman avoided using her married name in the 2010 election, although she uses it at other times....but I digress.

If Chuck is who I think he is, the Right Wingers will be screaming in agony and whining to the moderators in no time.

From SadlyNo.com:SondraK said,June 9, 2005 at 0:45Hey, Scooter…why you keep bringing other people into this what don’t apply? We’re talking SondraK and Brad here, (OMG…I said that…ewwwww)Sorry Brad….your wooing isn’t working, I’m just here for today’s *come look at Brad picking his nose and eating it everyone*…I’m not impressed, Sweetie. But you keep trying, I’d hate to break your heart….but I DO have many gentleman callers and they have it heads over you by a milestone.REAL men, mmmmmm.And stalkers REALLY creep me out, K? You’re beginning to creep me out. Really.

I do believe that our little Sandy claimed to be married in the double digits, one time in The O. Let's see. 2005 was 6 years ago.....so....someone had "many gentleman callers" while married???????

I didn't think that many men would have such poor taste.

It looks like I'm not the only man that has been stalked on the internet.

Wingnuttiest Comment o' the Day

One of the many comments left by lady-like blogger Sondra K. in response to a Sadly,No! post refuting her claim that Sadly! posted about her previously in order to try to hijack some of her blog's traffic:

Stop stalking my blog.

(I'd give you a link to Sondra's blog, but I don't want to be arrested for blog stalking.)

The above was published in 2005 on Salon.com's blog. Now couple this with today's funny.....

I didn't know that posting on a public website means you are a stalker, interesting views you have.
I actually operate a very successful website. One that has won numerous awards and averages over 500 page views a day. That comes out to more than 182,000 a year. I know some sites that have been up for years and are now just hitting the 25,000 mark. I am also active in the community and give of my time to help others and causes I support. Thank you for your interest, now I'm sure there will be some snide remark to follow. I can't find where Salon has mentioned the Queen of One Square Block of Olympia WA since

WASHINGTON — After stunning colleagues by recalling that she once had an abortion, Democratic Rep. Jackie Speier of California made clear Friday that the procedure was not something she welcomed and was done because the baby was not going to survive.

Speier, first elected in 2008, took to the House floor on Thursday evening during a debate over stripping funding to Planned Parenthood. A previous speaker, Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., read a graphic description of a dilation and evacuation abortion, which is done in the second trimester of a pregnancy. He said the doctor "literally hacks that baby to death."
Speier, 60, then discussed her own experience that took place in the early 1990s. Her spokesman said it was something she had done once before when she served in the California Legislature.
"That procedure that you just talked about was a procedure that I endured," Speier said. "I lost the baby. But for you to stand on this floor and to suggest as you have that somehow this is a procedure that is either welcomed or done cavalierly or done without any thought is preposterous."
Speier's spokesman, Tim Schlittner, said she didn't have any regrets about the speech. Speier, who represents a congressional district in the San Francisco Bay area, said via Twitter that she was overwhelmed by the response from the public. She also put out a press release making clear that she did not want to have the abortion.
"The fetus slipped from my uterus into my vagina and could not survive," Speier said. "Today some news reports are implying that I wanted my pregnancy to end, but that is simply not true. I lost my baby."
In Friday's action, Republicans muscled through the proposal to block federal aid to Planned Parenthood by a 240-185 vote.

WOODBURY, N.Y. — In a rare public appearance in which reporters were allowed, Sarah Palin continued tweaking the first lady's efforts to fight childhood obesity, but chided some of her own supporters for sustaining the "annoying" claims that President Barack Obama is foreign-born and Muslim.

Gee, Sarah, we're impressed.

Now if you'd just back off the woman that is a perfect example of motherhood and consider your history of teenage sleepovers resulting in teen pregnancy.......

I didn't know that posting on a public website means you are a stalker, interesting views you have.
I actually operate a very successful website. One that has won numerous awards and averages over 500 page views a day. That comes out to more than 182,000 a year. I know some sites that have been up for years and are now just hitting the 25,000 mark. I am also active in the community and give of my time to help others and causes I support. Thank you for your interest, now I'm sure there will be some snide remark to follow.

Faster than a speeding bullet.
More powerful than a locomotive.
Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound.
Look! Up in the sky!
It's a bird. It's a plane. It's Mrenchirito!
Yes, it's Mrenchirito - strange visitor from another planet who came to Earth with powers and abilities far beyond those of mortal men. Mrenchirito - who can change the course of mighty rivers, bend steel with his bare hands, and who, disguised as ********* (remember it's a disguise), mild mannered reporter for a great metropolitan blog, fights the never ending battle for Truth, Justice and the American Way.

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Passed, when signed by Governor goes into effect on July 1, 2004.
AN ACT Relating to the prevention of cyberstalking; amending RCW 9A.46.060 and 9A.46.100; reenacting and amending RCW 9.94A.515 and 9.94A.515; adding a new section to chapter 9.61 RCW; prescribing penalties; providing an effective date; providing an expiration date; and declaring an emergency.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
{+ NEW SECTION. +} Sec. 1. A new section is added to chapter 9.61 RCW to read as follows:
(1) A person is guilty of cyberstalking if he or she, with intent to harass, intimidate, torment, or embarrass any other person, and under circumstances not constituting telephone harassment, makes an electronic communication to such other person or a third party:
(a) Using any lewd, lascivious, indecent, or obscene words, images, or language, or suggesting the commission of any lewd or lascivious act;
(b) Anonymously or repeatedly whether or not conversation occurs; or
(c) Threatening to inflict injury on the person or property of the person called or any member of his or her family or household.
(2) Cyberstalking is a gross misdemeanor, except as provided in subsection (3) of this section.
(3) Cyberstalking is a class C felony if either of the following applies:
(a) The perpetrator has previously been convicted of the crime of harassment, as defined in RCW 9A.46.060, with the same victim or a member of the victim's family or household or any person specifically named in a no-contact order or no-harassment order in this or any other state; or
(b) The perpetrator engages in the behavior prohibited under subsection (1)(c) of this section by threatening to kill the person threatened or any other person.
(4) Any offense committed under this section may be deemed to have been committed either at the place from which the communication was made or at the place where the communication was received.
(5) For purposes of this section, "electronic communication" means the transmission of information by wire, radio, optical cable, electromagnetic, or other similar means. "Electronic communication" includes, but is not limited to, electronic mail, internet based communications, pager service, and electronic text messaging.

Since, in this person's opinion, our local newspaper isn't informed enough to protect our community and citizens, ThurstonBlog will provide a format for information and discussion of this subject

What a waste of a letter. Everything he says is wrong. There is ZERO evidence that the shooting was linked to any political rhetoric. There already are sensible gun laws and there's no evidence any new laws would have prevented this. Kind of reminds me of a frequent letter writter to the Tacoma News Tribune named Larry P. Hill

Hi Larry, I thought you didn't read the Olympian anymore? LOL!!! Oh and as usual you are wrong. You have posted 4 letters to the editor and that's just what I could find within the last few minutes! I would say 4 letters within the last few months qualifies as a frequent writer.

As you can see, the moderator edited my comment as "radecliar" which demonstrates that they do, in fact, moderate. I did this purposefully, as I will explain.

About a month or so ago, I contacted McClatchey Corporate offices because of violation of my privacy in The Olympian. About 45 minutes afterwards, I got a call from The Olympian Publisher. George was apologetic - something about "Disqus" was screwed up and The Olympian staff couldn't edit the violation. We spoke on the phone for awhile and agreed to meet for coffee. I thought that maybe we had found some common ground and arranged a lunch with a friend of mine - a major advertiser in The Olympian. I was perfectly willing to attempt to make peace, if you will.

A week or two later, I registered and posted one comment, which was pulled almost immediately. I sent George an email inquiring why, and I got no reply.

Now we have "radec" going out of her way to drag my name into The Olympian. The moderation is that my name stays and my reply is edited.

Here is where it gets interesting. George told me that newspapers can't moderate, or they will be held liable for all moderation. As usual, moderation in The Olympian is selective, thus liable. There must be an attorney in town who they have pissed off in the past.

I have purposefully stayed away from The Olympian, other than an occasional look and a comment in ThurstonBlog. "radec's" comment was emailed to me by a friend. It appears that The Olympian staff doesn't want to control their comments, so....let the good times roll.

Sorry, George. I trusted you. My bad.

I guess I'm in a better position to be your opposition. At least I know what to expect.

An African-American friend of mine once said - "I don't mind the KKK. I know what to expect from them"

Monday, February 14, 2011

What a waste of a letter. Everything he says is wrong. There is ZERO evidence that the shooting was linked to any political rhetoric. There already are sensible gun laws and there's no evidence any new laws would have prevented this. Kind of reminds me of a frequent letter writter to the Tacoma News Tribune named Larry P. Hill

According to the News Tribune archives, Mr. Hill has submitted exactly 3 letters to the editor. Since that particular newspaper has published for over 100 years, it would seem that there is ZERO evidence to the ASSertion that he is a FREQUENT letter writer. It is also obvious that radec is a stalker.

To quote a worthless moderator: "And I’m quite sure by now, most people know that just because something is posted to a comment thread/ or anywhere on the Internet, for that matter, doesn’t necessarily make it the truth."

.....................................Boehner says facts show Obama a Christian, citizenHouse Speaker John Boehner says Americans have a right to think what they want to think, even when they're wrong about President Barack Obama's citizenship and his religion.

[snipped]

When the host of NBC's "Meet the Press" asked Boehner whether he, as speaker of the House, had a responsibility to "stand up to that kind of ignorance," Boehner told David Gregory: "It's not my job to tell the American people what to think. Our job in Washington is to listen to the American people."

Sunday, February 13, 2011

..............................Odd Party Out
By Donna Brazile | February 13th, 2011

I’m told sociologists discovered that when three people are together that two of the three will bond — leaving the third person as the “odd man out.” When three people get together, one will always be the “third wheel.”

So, when the newly elected Congress ended up being composed of three distinct groupings (The Democrats, The Republican establishment, and tea party Republicans), naturally, I suspected the Democrats would be the “odd man out.”

Was I wrong.

Instead, with the 112th Congress barely a month old, the Republican Establishment clearly has become the “odd party out” in this town.

Consider this week’s headline in The New York Times: “Republicans in House Battle Turmoil in Their Ranks.” Please forgive me … but may I take a very brief moment to quote Jackie Gleason and say, “How sweet it is!”

The Republican differences are sweet karma for no other reason than, for 24 months, Mitch McConnell, John Boehner and Eric Cantor whipped their members into lockstep voting.

We recall that in 2009, Republicans chose to oppose (purely as election strategy) every single Obama proposal, no exceptions allowed. Their tactic resulted in taking positions so twisted that, by comparison, they made a corkscrew look like a nail.

For heaven’s sake, they even voted against helping 9/11 responders.

Well, guess what? Their strategy worked. They gained members in the Senate and captured the House. Ironically, in the process of inciting their base into thinking every Democrat was a Joseph Stalin, they encouraged the tea party movement. Today, those newly elected members oppose them.

This would be sweet if we didn’t need every elected public servant behaving like one, pulling together to get our economy on solid footing; standing “as one” on foreign policy, “letting our differences,” as the saying goes, “end at the water’s edge.”

What was the Republican turmoil? For instance, Boehner used the same “fast track” method he had labeled “ramming” when the Democrats passed health care with it, to renew sections of the “Patriot Act.”

But liberal Democrats and tea party Republicans formed a bipartisan alliance and defeated it by seven votes. They became instant heroes to civil libertarians who unanimously say the defeated sections posed serious threats to individual liberty. Republican leaders lost by their own votes.

Strike one.

Now comes the Trade Assistance Bill. For two years, Republican leaders could count on heels clicking in unison as Republicans voted a straight party line. Not this week. Conservative Republicans bolted and the leadership had to pull back the bill or face a second defeat at the hands of their own members.

Strike two.

What to do? Well, surely the Republicans could rally around moral issues. The Republicans brought up a bill to stop women whose lives are endangered by a pregnancy from seeking an abortion. That vote would unify them as the “Party of Family Values.”

Unfortunately, Rep. Christopher Lee capped the week of “Republican Unity and Family Values” with his abrupt resignation. Lee, a second-term upstate New York Republican, photographed himself bare-chested with his cell phone. He then e-mailed the picture of his pecs to someone he met on Craigslist.

Strike three.

Except that we have work to do. What about the budget, and excessive spending?

Let’s get down to serious work and frame the debate.

[snipped]

I finally figured out that the Republicans have a formula that they closely follow — I call it the “Teenage Strategy” — 1) always blame the Democrats; 2) always have an excuse; and 3) always have the last word.

“We’ve been in the majority four weeks,” Boehner told reporters Wednesday morning. “We’re not going to be perfect every day. If the Democrats who voted for these same provisions last year would’ve voted for them this year, it would’ve passed.”

It seems like only yesterday that Boehner was saying that if the Democrats would hold their own votes together, they could pass things over Republican obstructionism.

Saturday, February 12, 2011

It is your right to patronize whatever business you want to. It's called voting with your wallet. I choose not to patronize chipotle because of their history of hiring illegals. In my opinion they're aiding and abetting illegal immigration and identity theft. As far as sanitation goes I prefer my food prepared by someone who has a legitimate health card and is not infected with hepatitis, antibiotic resistant tuberculosis or God-knows -what.. And yes, charity begins at home and my home is the US not Mexico. I suggest you read the story above: "ICE reviewing more Chipotle workers' documents"

Online Extra: More Letters to the Editor

How disappointing. Seven letters to the editor bundled together, that is, without individual comment threads for each LTE. I understand The Olympian doesn’t print them all to save paper and ink. Is the paper trying to save storage space on its servers now, or something? I hope this trend doesn’t continue.

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I just read through the comments on the article about the lawsuit by the parents of the child supposedly molested by the school district employee (http://www.theolympian.com/2011/02/12/1540670/missing-headline-for-12obussuits.html). Half of them I couldn't even figure out what the commenters were trying to say! Vying for the title of "the worst of the batch" today is somebody calling himself "wolfriley"-- most of the time his stuff is incomprehensible drivel, giving GinaMD a run for the money! LOL
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Print it NOW ! ... This is dead wrong ! .. You allow some pretty bad defaming comments YET YOU censor this ? ? !!
AND by the way I am Not a Latino ...So if that's why you didn't print my comment , think again ! Or will I have to go to the editor to find out why ?

myolivercat, believe me, I have no friends at the Olympian. I don't know what you wanted to say to me but I wish I did. It wouldn't hurt my feelings and I'd like to be able to respond. Perhaps you could try again with a little rephrasing.